You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

Sports, Sports Entertainment and FitnessTHIS SPACE OPEN FOR ADVERTISEMENT. YOU SHOULD BE ADVERTISING HERE!
Athletics, Hockey, Soccer, basketball, organize games/events, aerobics, nutritional supplements. Also the home for sports and sports entertainment threads.

If anyone is down for riding in the rain on the weekends, pm me and we'll set something up. I generally go richmond to downtown, stanley park, ubc, iona, then home. Or, I head out with the bike shop on a group ride... Generally 10-15ppl show up.

I was told that u have to be able to ride >= to 30km/h to stay on the thing. im sure u can do 30 clicks!

This.

I can't. For me to hold a steady 30km/h pace, I'd be at my maximum heart rate at around 180bpm and my lactate threshold is low. I can probably pump out that kind of speed/power for 1 minute and 30 seconds on average like a sprint for example. I've been monitoring my performance very closely using a heart rate monitor so I'd be making an absolute fool of myself if I went.

Well either way, I'd love to ride with u, and the rest of the RSnet people, some time soon in the near future where no one gets dropped from the ride. Im not about going fast, just the enjoyment of getting out there

I do however enjoy climbing the most, i think maybe b/c of my small size it's just easier. Great sense of accomplishment getting up a hill

Stanley park is great cuz there's a climb to prospect point, and then from there you can just bomb down the hill.

Me, along with my 2 buddies plus 15 other cyclists participated in this 2 hour intro session to velodrome racing. It actually ran for 2.5 hours. The instructor was Kelyn who (i believe) is one of the main, if not main, instructors at the velodrome. He also works as a fitter and sales guy at La Bicicletta when he's not at the velodrome.

Majority of the people who participated last night were noobs to riding the track, and the majority of us haven't even ridden a fixed gear bike before.

Prior to coming we were all instructed to bring all our usual biking gear (shorts, jerseys, helmets etc), and also were instructed to remove our pedals from our own bikes to use on the rental bikes. Everyone clipped into their own setup.

The first 10-15 minutes were spent talking about safety on the track, what the lines on the track meant, verbal commands when passing, what not to do on the track, etc. Since our group was 18 people deep, we were split into two groups of 9.

The first exercise was to get familiar on riding a fixed gear bike. Each group spent about 5 minutes riding on the flat surface around the base of the track to get accustomed to a fixed gear bike with no brakes. I, along with maybe one or two others, were dumb enough to do the 1 thing you should never do when riding a fixed gear bike with clip in shoes: removing both feet from the pedals... LOL. I ended up coasting around the track another one or two times to come to a stop b/c my feet couldn't find the pedals to stop the bike. Stopping on a fixed gear, you basically just stop pedalling, and when you come to a stop, you remove just one foot.

Track Dimensions: 200 meter track. Banks were 46-47 degrees!!!!! :O

The track has lines on it, and the diagram below explains what they are:

- The “cote d’azur” or band of blue, marks the tracks inside boundary. Racers may not ride on or below this wide band, except for emergencies or during the slow tactical maneuvering during match sprint competition.

- The black “measurement line”, as the name implies, is used to measure the distance around the track.

- The thin red line around the track is the “sprinters line” and it defines the sprint lane between the red line and the blue band. A leading rider in this lane is said to “own the lane” and may only be passed by a rider going over on the right.

- The uppermost thin blue line is the “stayer’s line” or relief line. It marks the boundary between faster and slower traffic, with the faster riders below the line while the slower “relief” riders are above this line during Madison races.

The second activity was to ride on the Cote d'azur, ride a minimum of 30km/h, and Kelyn, while standing on the side at the straightaway, would point at you if he thought you were going above 30km/h and signal you to get onto the "Sprinters Lane". The sprinters lane is where most of the riding occurs.

Was it hard to ride a minimum of 30km/hr? No. Definitely not, but the problem was ALL of us were riding way faster b/c we were afraid of sliding off the track. Kelyn estimates that most beginners end up riding at 40, 45, even 50 km/hr which translates to us burning our legs out pretty quickly and really theres no need to ride that fast.

How long were you riding the track for each time you were on it? Probably 10 minutes at a time. I think because our group was split into two, we had to get off so that the next group could practice the techniques. The first 2 times riding on the sprinters lane though, I blew my wad pretty quickly because I wasn't relaxed in my upper body, gripping the bars like I was going to die, and I was pedaling just too fast. The more seat time you get, the more comfortable you become and it started to feel like second nature. By the end of the night, I felt like I could ride the track for an hour straight without getting tired. Definitely very easy to stay on.

The hairiest part of riding the velodrome the first time was trusting the people infront of you. Because we couldn't tell how fast we were going, we didn't have a speed sensor, no brakes, and we were all just nooooobs, it was pretty scary at times when people in front rode too slow, couldn't keep a straight line, or went up into the passing lane unannounced.

After being able to ride the sprinters lane, the next activity was learning to pass above the sprinters line.

We also did something called a ribbon ride, where Kelyn lead each group around the track and we would follow his positioning throughout the track. We went up and down the velodrome from the lowest point, to the highest point which was riding along the rail (top).

The last drill was riding a pace line, and learning how to ride at the front of the line, signaling, and transitioning to the back of the pace line.

The experience was amazing, exhilarating, scary, awesome all rolled into one. I've never had so much fun on a bike before.

Of the 18 people in the group, all 18 people got on the track and road the whole thing. No one crashed, although there were some close ones... Some struggled for a long time, but it was mainly a trust issue... trusting the people in front of you, trusting that you're going the right speed, and trusting that you wouldn't slide off the wooden track.

Cost? $25.00 for 2 - 2.5 hrs. Included a rental bike. We got a cheap rate b/c our group was so big, we basically just rented out the whole track to ourselves for the entire time, and Kelyn just instructed us.

They're setting up something again soon, I'm anticipating that the group might get bigger next time around since everyone enjoyed it so much. If you guys get a chance to, definitely check it out!

Any of you guys wear cycling sunglasses when you're out for rides? I'm currently using a pair of the Spy Optic Screw (Matthew Busche edition) which I love. Only drawback is they don't offer a polarized option whereas their Alpha model does. Unfortunately, they don't offer a prescription model for either frames.

I went to see my optometrist last night for an annual check up. My prescription has changed and he suggested I invest in a pair of prescription based sunglasses and unfortunately, not many companies offer this option (I only know of a few.) Did some research and Rudy Project comes to mind. Their prices and product seem to be overall, best bang for buck. Has anybody ever owned a pair or tried a pair on? Their frames and lenses are made in San Clemente, CA. Thanks!

Yep, get there early if you want the best selection! I'll be taking the day off work to hit up the sale. Sorry to hear BcrDukes that you bought your Sugoi stuff already! But you're baller so you ain't worried...

All the talk about the Jake the Snake, I ended up buying one. Actually, two. hahaha.. Well, the first one was intended for the lady friend, and I know I just had to have one too, so I ended up buying a frame on eBay and am in the process of building it up. So now I have yet another project on the go..and no money. (as always!)

And here's the latest on my Giant TCR C1...little progress! Yes, added the Aqua Rack, Bento Box, SRAM cassette, and a couple of Elite bottle holders. Had to find the smallest ones, in order to fit both in that small frame, and luckily it worked out. Yes, no crankset or shifters still.

I would recommend a nice pair of sunglasses, like Oakley, Smith or Rudy Project for example. They don't break as easily as a pair of fashion sunglasses. The gap in quality and materials are huge! I'm sure your boss has a pair!

I'd be inclined to sell my Spy Optic Screw's if you're interested. This isn't an option at this point for me anymore.

I tried going the cheapo sunglasses route (MEC FTW!) but then one day i was dumb enough to step into the oakely store to see what the hubub was about and $300 later i walked out with a pair of Split Jackets *sigh picked the fire iridium lenses for daytime and yellow for dimmer, overcast days.

that said i've never looked back. vented lenses are top notch - never fog up when i'm riding. they do when i stop but it goes away as soon as i start moving again. for the overall comfort, durability, ability to change lenses, and craftsmanship i'd say it was money well spent amazing how much 'technology' goes into these things. oh and they look sick too